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No “Coalition of the Unwilling” against Staying the Course in Iraq

By Brigitte L. NacosIf there was the chance for a congressional “coalition of
the unwilling” against the Iraq policy, it has passed. Score one for the big White House spin machine that has sold
the “staying the course” policy and the success story of the troop surge—finally
even to Democrats in Congress who won last fall majorities in both
congressional chambers because Americans lost confidence in the Iraq leg of the
so-called war on terrorism. Now the Democratic leadership seeks reportedly an
Iraq compromise with Republicans by demanding nothing and changing
nothing—except perhaps the request to withdraw a few thousand U.S. troops by
the end of the year or early next year. Such a compromise could be accommodated
even by the staunchest war hawks since the military is so extended in Iraq that tiny
withdrawals are at any time likely for rotation purposes. Why the lack of
courage on the part of the Democratic Party’s leaders in the Congress? They
were flattened by a pro-Iraq war PR-steamroller that originated in the White
House and sold the successes of the “surge” to so-called experts and the fourth
estate.

Recently, the White House spin machine intensified its
drum beat to draw attention to Monday’s non-event on Capitol Hill, where
General David Petraeus and United States Ambassador Ryan Crocker will report on
the success of the troop “surge” in Iraq and embrace the continuation of the
president’s “staying the course” marching order—give or take the promise to
bring a few thousand troops home thanks to the success of the troop build-up. From
the time the “surge” and its alleged successes were sold by the White House, it
was done in tandem with the miracle general in Baghdad. As a Washington
Post team reports, the White House PR-operation “hard-wired into Petraeus's
shop.”

Moreover, presidential adviser Ed Gillespie “organized daily
conference calls at 7:45 a.m. and again late in the afternoon between the White
House, the Pentagon, the State Department, and the U.S. Embassy and military in
Baghdad to map out ways of selling the surge. From the start of the Bush plan,
the White House communications office had been blitzing an e-mail list of as
many as 5,000 journalists, lawmakers, lobbyists, conservative bloggers,
military groups and others with talking points or rebuttals of criticism.”

Before the much publicized delivery of the Petraeus
report, President Bush himself contributed a wonderful photo opportunity during
his “surprise” stop at a well protected
U.S. military compound in Anbar province on his way to. When asked later by
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile, "How was it in Baghdad?" Bush assured him according to the Sydney
Morning Herald, "We're kicking ass.” Had Vaile asked Mr. Bush about the situation
in the U.S. Congress, the president’s answer would have made more sense. The
big pro-Iraq war spin machine kicked the Democrats so much..., well, into
line—even before they themselves heard from General Petraeus—that they are now
looking for a compromise which, according to the New York Times,
“would still order the administration to begin pulling at least some combat
troops out of Iraq, probably by the end of the year.” Some comprise.